Another Day, Another Carbon Con...
Posted on Tuesday, 12 June 2012
Federal Member for Flynn Ken O’Dowd has today raised renewed concerns over the cost impact of the Carbon Tax on small businesses electricity bills before its starting date of the 1st of July.
“With less than three weeks to go until this insidious tax is implemented, businesses such as motels and hotels are being given notice by their electricity providers of what is likely to be the first of many hits to their hip pocket through their electricity rates” said Mr O’Dowd.
A Rockhampton motel proprietor has recently contacted Mr O’Dowd with significant concerns over the cost impacts of the tax, calculating that his electricity rates will rise by over 43% on his next account as a direct result of the Carbon price.
Mr O’Dowd said “Businesses are being shocked by this price hike as they have continually been told by the Government that there would only be a 10% increase. According to some figures, an increase of 2.12 cents per kilo watt hour works out to a 30 per cent increase on the peak rate and 58 per cent on the off peak rate.
The Government is clearly in denial about the real impact that this tax is going to have, and it grieves me that business owners in Labor Electorates such as Capricornia feel they can’t even take these valid concerns to their elected representatives because they will fall on deaf ears”.
Businesses all over Central Qld will be receiving similar notifications of electricity price hikes as a result of the Carbon Tax. Of particular note will be businesses with the highest electricity usage in areas such as manufacturing and engineering.
“These operations which support our Resources sector and are vital to our economic wellbeing face potential bill increases of up to 25%, taking into account fixed charges, which is cause for real concern” Mr O’Dowd said.
Mr O’Dowd stated “It’s another day and another example of how this tax is going to hurt us at every level, this is a classic example of why the Coalition opposes the Carbon Tax and would repeal it if elected to government at the very first opportunity”.
ENDS.